CRUSADE 2022- Team Star v Team David

[Star Stormz]

PWS: APEX Presents CRUSADE: ARMAGEDDON
LIVE Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Camp Nou - Barcelona, Spain



Armageddon Match
Team Star (Gracie Lopez, Levi Russow, Nick Madison, Laura Phoenix, Trisha Lee Moore) vs. Team David (David Shane, Jonathan Sanders,Alexandra Calaway, Alexander Lyons, Dionysus)



DEADLINE: 12/18/22 11:59:59 PM EST
One RP Per character
500 min, 5000 max

[Alexander Lyons]

The camera opens on darkness, which is soon broken by Alexander Lyons whistling the tune to the five little monkeys jumping on a bed nursery rhyme, as we pan over, we see Alexander standing behind a table, bearing five wooden figurines each bearing a likeness to the members of Team Star. Alex crouches behind the table looking at the figurines at eye level.

“Do you like them?” he said “I made them myself.”

He stood back upright, putting both hands on the table in front of him keeping his eye on the camera.

“You do realize this is the end right?” said Alex, “The last stand before Armageddon truly comes alive in PWS? You all thought ANTITHESIS was being forgotten and that we were going to fizzle out and fade away, right up until David Shane injected new life into us, and now…we have what we needed all along. The touch of a proper lady. It is my honor to welcome my dark sister Alexandra into our family. “

He looks back down at the, rather well crafted figurines in front of him with a smirk.

“So this is it?” he said unimpressed, “This is what you present us as your last stand? THESE are the warriors you choose? This is going to be easier than I thought, I mean what do we have? A retired couple still trying to hold on to whatever glory they once had, The WORST member of the Russow family, the completely irrelevant Gracie Lopez, and some random girl who’s return I’m apparently supposed to care about. Time will tell I guess.”

He shrugs.

“What we have is an actual team, a family” Alexander continued, “We’re not just some band of misfits hastily thrown together because the real talent like Phillips, Ryder or Makarios were too busy. The closest you have to a family, are the two lovers Nick and Laura.”

Alex rolls his eyes in mocking fashion.

“It’s already begun for you hasn’t it Nick?” he said “You’re supposed to be retired but you can’t stay away, isn’t that how it always goes? Soon you’ll just be an embarrassment to the industry and have pissed all over your worthless legacy. It’s time for you go go home and be a family man Nicholas.”

With a fowl swipe, he smacks the Nick figurine off the table

“And what of the wife?” he grinned “My cousin beat her in his first ever match you know. I don’t even know if she remembers that, but it happened. She needs to keep her boots tied up and do the same as her husband, just go home and be the nuclear family they aspire to be. David Shane runs the show now, deal with it and just get out of the way.”

He smacks Laura's figurine off the table.

“And you Trisha Lee Moore.” he said, “I don’t even know who the hell you are. You just come in out of nowhere, and some hullabaloo was made about it, yet you’ve proven nothing to me. I don’t care if you did something here in the past, this is ANTITHESIS’ time and we’ll have no problem sending you back to whatever cobwebs Star dug you out of.”

With a thwack, the Trisha figurine goes flying.

“Then we have Gracie Lopez” said Alex, chocking back some laughter, “Has she really done anything around here? I know she had a match with Alexis Makarios or something, but truly, you could have better than Gracie right? I mean Squid-Man isn’t even booked! But It’s your funeral I guess.”

Alex disrespectfully backhands Gracie off the table.

“And then there’s you Levi Russow himself.” Alex smirks, “The most boring and basic of the Russows, at least Jack has some edge to him and at least Daniel has his grit. Even Jesse is more interesting. You don’t need to stick around either Levi, we have enough Russows, I don’t even know who’s related or how, and I don’t care. You’re still the worst one with that surname and you shall fall like the rest."

Another smack sends the Levi figure flying.

“Armageddon is upon us.” Alex says behind his dark evil eyes, “And it’s a shame that your chosen guardians are so weak, because we were hoping for a challenge.”

Alex sighs, and walks off into the darkness humming five little monkeys jumping on a bed.

[Alexandra Sanders]

---

Jonathan sat in silence for a long moment after Alexandra had finished telling him the story of her family's peril. Everyone she loved - everybody ELSE she loved - caught in a single explosion, their lives potentially ended in the blink of an eye. A thousand different emotions played across the Snake of Eden's face, surprise, sympathy, sorrow, grief, a deep sense of existential anguish, and finally... rage. It was in this familiar fire - the blazing crimson light of abject fury - that the Dark Reflection found his strength. Found the words to reassure her.

"Tell me who's responsible."

His steel-grey eyes said everything; in them was written righteous indignation the likes of which even SHE had never seen from him before. It was the same look he had worn when he confronted his own father - when, all those years ago, the sweet and innocent boy that Jonathan used to be had watched his mother die. This was the face of the THING he had become; the bitter, violent snarl of the Beast Behind the Mirror.

"Tell me where to find them, and every single one of them will burn for crossing you, my Queen!"

Alexandra looked at him, shocked by the rage that flowed off him. If he was a volcano, he would have just erupted and wiped out all of Pompeii. She took a deep breath and looked down.

"We don't know yet. My friends are looking into it."

Her eyes cast back up to his for a few moments, before she looked down at the floor once more. Tears fell from her eyes.

"They say that the first 24 hours is the most important. At 42 hours they listed them as presumed dead. It's been 72 hours now.. the cops have called off the search."

She stood throwing a bottle of water across the room. Before collapsing to the floor, sobbing.

"I.. I should have been there.. I should have..."

Jonathan slowly wrapped his arms around her, sinking to his knees as he pulled her body tightly against his own. He held her there for a long moment in silence, allowing her to sob into his shoulder as he softly rubbed her back as he vaguely remembered his one caring parent doing for him in times of crisis.

"Shhhh, my Nightmare Princess, I'm here... it is alright. Let the emotions out, for they only make you stronger."

He pulled back slightly, only so he could lock his eyes with her.

"Do not blame yourself, my love. You do not know what power you would or would not have had to alter this event; I have spent far too long wallowing in those 'what-ifs', I know they are not helpful. Learn from my mistakes, my heart... and know this..."

His gaze hardened, his hands moving to softly cup her cheeks.

"I swear to you, upon the soul of my Mother; if they are alive, they WILL be found - I shall spare no resource in ensuring it is so. If they are NOT, then I will rain DEATH AND HELLFIRE upon those responsible for taking them from you - from US!"

He paused, briefly, to softly wipe a tear from her cheek with his thumb.

"We are two halves of one soul, my Reflection - YOUR family has become MINE. I love each of them as deeply and as fiercely as I love YOU, Alexandra, and I will never allow that flame to die. I would drag my broken body through the infinite abyss of Hell itself to keep my family from harm... and I will do the same for ours. If I cannot save them in this moment, then let me at least save YOU. Let me turn that sorrow into rage, and that beautiful rage into ANGUISH for our enemies..."

She felt him pulling her in, his arms wrapping around her body, keeping her locked there as he spoke. His words, gave a warmth, even in the darkness of the moment. The fear that had grown within her, now began to cower at his words, as if he himself was pulling it out of her. Something about the way he promised to her that he would either save them or avenge them, caused her heart to race. The thought that he would do all of that for her, the two of them having really just started being in each other's lives, but here he sat, kneeling next to her, promising to destroy those who hurt her family, caused her to look at him.

"If I had been there.. I could have suffered with them.. I could have held my daughter.. She wouldn't have.. my niece.. would still be able to grow.. My brother.. he was a strong man and I want to hold out hope that he got them out of there before it happened. But with the hours passing by.. I don't know.. I'm scared Jon.. I'm scared.."

She wrapped herself around him, tears still streaming down her face, even though the look on her face showed anger and rage, it seemed as if the tears she shed, was fueled only by the pain she was feeling, the fear that grew inside of her at the thought that she had lost her family.

"I have always wanted only the best for my daughter.. and now.. I can't even hold her and tell her goodnight, because someone has stolen that from me.."

She hated that she might have to face the fact that they were gone, that she was without her brother, her niece and her sweet little girl who didn't deserve to die for no reason. Jonathan met her gaze - not as the Dark Reflection, not as the Lost Cause - but as her boyfriend. Her soulmate. As she spoke of her regrets, reliving the possibilities had she been present, he made no move to silence her or cease the exploration. He simply heard her out, and then, in the heavy, sombre grieving of the moment, he let all pretense slip away, and gazed into her eyes with his.

"I know you're scared, my angel... I am scared as well. Let's be scared together."

He continued to hold her and gently stroke her hair as she sobbed, letting her pain take hold. His emotions mirrored hers - a mix of rage and pain - but he kept them in check, for now. The Demon was not what she needed - at least, not yet...

"Alexandra... I know how it feels to lose someone so precious to you. Every DAY that I wake up, I SOB because my Mother - the only woman before you who has EVER shown me love - cannot be present to see the man I have become. I reminisce upon the milestones she has missed within my life, and the pain of being eternally unable to share any of them with her..."

He paused, again, wiping away her tears and allowing his words time to sink in.

"But I have grown stronger from that tragedy. I have BUILT that pain into a power - a LEGEND - which has allowed me to take my fullest and most honest form. I use the hate of vengeance against the world which ripped her from me as the kindling, the FUEL for my immortal FIRE of existential pain that I shall use to BURN this poisoned world into a cinder, so we may construct a new one on its ashes! A world that does not CREATE monsters like me - a world in which no mother will ever have to lose her beloved daughter again..."

Jonathan paused once more. NOW has come the time for the Demon, for the reassuring familiarity of hatred. He offered his hands to her, his gaze locking once more with her own.

"I cannot promise you they will be unharmed, my beloved... but I can promise you they will be AVENGED. Will you trust the Darkness, Alexandra? Trust the thing that has empowered both of us - that has brought our souls together? I can help you USE this terror, to MOLD it into something powerful... I can make YOUR fear into THEIRS. If only you will let me..."

Alexandra listened to his words, felt his thumbs wiping away her tears. The way her body was filled with rage and something else.. the need to avenge them. Even if they were alive and well, she knew that she.. nor her beloved Dark Prince would rest until they were avenged. The fear her daughter felt, the fear her brother and niece felt.. and the fear they both felt now.. would soon be used on those who had harmed her family. She could see that much in his eyes, her hands in his, she could feel the rage flowing from him now, as if it was entering into her, the air around them thickened.

"I trust in the darkness.."

She nodded looking into his eyes. She trusted in him, trusted in the darkness that brought them together. The darkness that bound them to one another, long before either of them had realized that their fates were inter-woven. But now, she must go into this battle, knowing that her child, her brother and her niece could all be gone from this existence.

"I promised my daughter I would win the match that night.. and I lost not only that match.. but her.."

She felt the tears of an angry mother, building up, stinging at her eyes and the only real way she could fight back, would be to find her family, to unite them with her new family.. and find that.. she herself had found solace in the arms of Jonathan Sanders.. the man who had from the start, loyal to her in every way.. he had lead her to her darkness.

"I trust in you..."

He held her hands in his hand slowly shut his eyes, pressing his forehead against hers.

"Good... then feel my rage, my PAIN... my POWER."

He paused now, inhaling sharply as he felt the energy between them, their emotions almost merging, FEELING as one conjoined entity.

"Rest now, Alexandra Calaway... and let the Dark Queen reawaken."

Nodding her head, Alexandra closed her eyes, the tears stopping, almost as if she had shut off her mind. Slowly she opened them, and they were cold.

---

"The time has come, think about what you all are doing here... you all fight for honor.. for what is right.  But are you all willing to go beyond.. to do whatever it takes to defeat us...  Team Star.. oh my lord.. I hope you all have written your last will and testament.. because the woman you THOUGHT I was.. is gone.

Levi Russow, you aren't new to me.  Having been in this industry.. this isn't the first time I've come across you and who you are.  But this isn't the past.  You are the laughing stock and embarrassment of your family.  Just show up.. take your hits.. make your money.. and fade into oblivion.. please.. Enough with the Russow's already...  Jack and Daniel.. can you please get your kinfolk.. seriously.

Gracie Lopez, run.. run far away.  I don't want to have to do this to you.. but I will.  No matter what it takes. Do you have what it takes to look into the darkness standing across that ring from you and WILLINGLY step into it? Or will you falter in that moment and run.  I will put you to rest once and for all.  You think what happened before was bad.. just watch.. with Anti-Thesis.. complete.. we are unstoppable.  Hey.. Hey Gracie.. How's your head? I hope you are one hundred percent tonight.  Ooops... 

Nick Madison, awww.. the lovers.. Laura's male counterpart. Her beloved. While I have a ton of respect for your wife.. that does not extend to you. YOU sir.. will suffer.  The smartest thing you could do, would be to convince your beloved to get off the ring apron.. walk up the ramp, together.. and leave.

Laura Phoenix, impressive.  Agile. Talented.  Yet you've chosen the wrong side in all of this.  It will be an honor to face you, however face the facts.. you should have been on THIS side of the situation. At least on this side.. we would have your back.. like a family would.  Who on that side would truly have your back.  Your husband.. when was the last time he actually did ANYTHING to help you my dear.

Trisha Lee Moore, Oh god.. where did they dig you up from? I thought once things are dead.. they are dead.  No matter.. I'll send you back to afterlife. Can we stop with the dragging people out of the retirement home.. seriously.. lets not do that anymore.  Are you even still capable of climbing into the ring without looking like a newborn giraffe? And Trisha Lee Moore's arrival was supposed to what? Upstage my reveal as the final member of both Anti-Thesis and Team David? No. Sorry.. it was expected. What does she bring to you all's team?  An inability to commit? Because if that's the case.. congratulation's.. you got just that.  

The little team you all have created from the ashes of what's left in the company.. doesn't compare to us in any way. You do not have the dynamic that we at Anti-Thesis do.  We are a family... you all are a circus of buffoons', playing a game of chess that you aren't ready for.  Are you prepared to follow us into the darkness?  Are you prepared for a trip to hell? You may claim that you are.. but lets face the facts.. we all know.. it's just fake bravado.  Not a one of you could truly get along.  Team Star is a ticking time bomb.. and WE'VE got the detonator."

---

Alexandra had just gotten off the phone with her friends and a few of the officers who had stayed on the task of finding her family, but there was still much more news that she needed to share with her beloved Jonathan. She wasn't sure how he was going to take the news. A part of her knew he would be overjoyed at the thought that she hadn't lost her brother or her niece, but someone had kidnapped her daughter. A daughter who she loved very much and Jonathan had come to know through stories she told him and photos on Alexandra's phone. She entered the room they shared in Paris.

"I have news about my family..."

Jonathan perked up as soon as he heard her voice, his attention turning from the book of Poe in which he had immersed himself to fully focus on his lover. He needed a moment to process her words - and, more immediately, to fully PROCESS their import - but the instant his mind grasped them he hurried to her side.

"My darling... what is it? Are they alright?"

Alexandra was still processing everything that she had been told. She took a moment, leaning against him, her heart thudded in her ears loudly, causing her head to hurt.

"My brother and Niece have been found.. their now looking for my daughter.."

She looked up at him, the heartbreak of a mother who had lost her daughter was clear on her face.

"They said that while my brother was in the hospital checking on my niece who had sustained some injuries during the explosion."

The look on Alexandra's face said it all.

"They said someone came and took her, claiming they were sent to pick her up. At least that's what they told the nurses. My brother has been looking for her."

Sanders listened closely and attentively as she spoke to him, his arms coming up instinctively to wrap around her as she leaned against his body. The emotions which washed over him were myriad - first, relief, that some of her relatives had been found alive. Following that, dread, as he looked upon the face of a mother who had lost her child. In the next few short moments, he ran the gamut from rage to sorrow, through fear and pain and back to rage again. The Fallen Angel's eyes hardened as he gazed upon his lover, her pain FEEDING into his in some kind of twisted, dark empathy, his steel-grey hues betraying the icy tone his words conveyed. He spoke calmly, but there was enough ire in his voice to truly communicate his feelings in very few words.

"I see..."

He paused - a long and pensive pause, pregnant with a thousand unsaid words and thoughts left silent. Nothing needed to be shared, not verbally; they each could FEEL how the other felt, within this moment - and their furies blazed hotter than a million dying suns. His gaze locked onto hers.

"Do we have leads?"

"At this current time, the only leads I have is the nurses description of the man who picked her up. He was tall, big muscles."

She tried to remember all the descriptions she had been given. She nodded her head and continued.

"They said he had a lot of tattoos.. like.. he looked like a hardened criminal.."

It struck Alexandra.. about 3 years ago, her brother had helped put away a few guys and one of the brothers had managed to escape. She remembered her brother mentioned that it might have been one of them.

"My brother thinks it might be the brother of one of the guys he arrested a few years ago.. but more information is needed to be sure.."

Jonathan loosed a low, throaty growl as he struggled to keep himself contained. This situation did require rage, but it also needed... nuance. A careful application of the flame, to Scorch the Earth only where those who would trespass against his Queen would tread.

"I understand, my heart... tell him to keep me apprised of the situation. I swore to you that I would render aid - that I would SMITE the piteous rodents who DARE to stand against us with the FURIOUS FIRE OF OLYMPUS... and I meant every word of it. Whomever HAS taken our beloved shall suffer GRAVELY for their treachery - and you will watch me inflict EVERY. SINGLE. MOMENT of it!"

Alexandra listened to him, her eyes on his as she reached up to cup his face in her hands. She felt every emotion that he did in that moment. The anger, the rage that built up inside of him, she felt it too, that same rage ripped through her with a force she hadn't known before.

"I told him to keep us both aware of all that is going on in the search. He said he would be reaching out to you as well to give you further information as well, he said there's more to know, and that you could help him. He wanted me to rest and to try and not worry too much. But as a mother, it is my job to find my child and worry for her safety."

Jonathan's eyes locked onto hers, his hands coming up to rest atop her own as she gently cupped his cheeks. He peeled her hands away to hold them in his own, the rage becoming stoic, grim determination as his steel-grey eyes burned with fiery passion. He knew she could feel it as well, and it was precisely what he wanted - he knew how she could USE that anguish, CHANNEL the pain into their match, and any actions they would take beyond it.

"I will not ask you to abstain from this endeavor, darling; you ARE the girl's mother, and it is a Mother's responsibility to keep her child safe... but you agreed to trust in me - to trust in our beloved Darkness - and I ask that you do so again. When the time is right, I shall call upon you, my beloved, to render violence and ANGUISH upon those who have slighted us. You must USE that pain, that worry - let it fester and FOMENT into fury, to be inflicted upon our enemies in this sweet Armageddon..."

His lips curled into a smirk as he continued to gaze upon her, the fury in his eyes now taking on a decidedly evil, twisted bent.

"As you make them suffer, Alexandra - as WE make them suffer, TOGETHER - imagine they are the ones responsible for your daughter's disappearance. For your FAMILY'S attack! I want you to see his face on every one of theirs, to direct this irrepressible violent hate you hold for him onto EVERY member of Team Star, so that you may revel in watching them fall before us... and then, when all the bodies have been broken and the dust of War has settled... we will strike like hungry lions, and RIP your daughter from his vile clutches before she comes to harm! I will descend upon him with the fury of an onrushing tidal wave... and CRASH his ship against the stalwart rocks of our undying love..."

He squeezed her hands firmly with his own.

"Do you trust me, Alice?"

She looked into his eyes, her hands holding his firmly. Something made her trust in him, in ways she never had anyone else. Completely and irrevocably. She nodded her head, before speaking. She could feel their rage, their anger, their completeness in this moment as she had before. She could feel the darker nature taking over. She was his weapon, the weapon he could use against Team Star.

"You have never failed me.. and you never will. I followed you through the looking glass into Underland.. and I do not plan on returning to the world above.. I am the end bringer.. the harbinger of destruction. When I stand across the ring from them at Crusade.. it will be the End of their Days.. ONCE.. and FOR ALL. I trust in you, in our darkness.. which bound us."

Jonathan's grin only widened, his steel-grey eyes glinting with malevolence as they locked onto hers.

"Good... THIS is what we need. The fire fueled by pain which will SCORCH the Earth beneath our enemies! Stand with me, my lover - my soulmate - my GODDESS of the DAMNED - and nobody, NOTHING, shall ever stop us again! We will lay waste to our opposition... and then BRING that raging Hellfire unto ALL who mean OUR FAMILY harm! This is my vow to you - the Cheshire Cat's promise to his pure and precious Alice; you will never suffer again, not as long as there is breath within my lungs and blood within my heart. I swear unto our Darkness that your enemies are MY enemies, YOUR problems are MINE to solve... as long as you will do the same for me. My life for yours, YOUR life... for mine. Will you live this bargain with me, Alexandra?"

Her eyes connected with his as she listed to the words he spoke. They would have their revenge, they would lay waste to Team Star. Alexandra would be his weapon, she would finish the job, unlike the others who had tried to destroy them. She knew what she needed to do and she would do it. Keeping her hands in is, she spoke.

"This bargain you offer, I willingly accept and so willingly give. Your life for min.. and my life for yours. So long as their is breath in my lungs, I will defend our family. My enemies are yours and yours are mine.. your problems are mine too.. and together we shall solve all of them as we do. I shall be your sword.. your destruction upon those who oppose us.. those who seek out to destroy us.."

He listened to her words without breaking their eye-contact. He felt so connected to her in this moment, so... complete, in a way he knew he had been searching for since he looked into the Mirror all those years ago. He embraced his Other - his Dark Reflection - and held her firmly in his arms as their souls began to synchronize. He knew she would serve him well in the coming War, and just as she had been HIS weapon, he too would be HERS; her brutal instrument of vengeance, to inflict HAVOC upon the man - or men - responsible for putting her family through such misery. For they were, indeed, HIS family now... and ANTITHESIS knew what Jonathan Sanders would do for his family.

"Then prepare thyself, my Lilith... and let us bring Ragnarok together."

"Yes my beloved Lucifer.. We shall bring Ragnarok together, hand in hand. And lead those who follow us.. to the true promised land..."

She pulled him into a heated kiss, as time melted away around them. Signaling the end of times for Team Star and any who opposed their family, now.. or in the future.

---

"Now it is the time, Armageddon is upon us.  Our personal.. Ragnarok.  It is the time for death and destruction.. rebirth.. all these things are needed to cleanse the world of the Storms of life. We are a perfect unit, the family you all wish you were. The bond that we have.. the loyalty to the darkness.. far surpasses anything that you all could bring to our doorstep.  

David Shane, the reason we are doing this.. to prove that he is the rightful one in charge of us all. To prove his reign to be truth.  And who is it that shall lead you all into this Ragnarok. 

Alexander Lyons, Dionysus, my brothers in the darkness.  My brothers in battle.  Alexander Lyons a man who is unafraid of anything, a man who knows precisely what he will do to prove to everyone that he is here. A man with the heart of a lion, filled with darkness.  And then we have the big man.. my own personal body guard.. Dionysus.  A man with all the darkness of the dead in one form.

And the there is my dark beloved, the mad hatter of Darkness, Jonathan Sanders, a man who awakened my inner demons, stirred them so that when the time was right, he could unleash his dark reflection upon PWS Apex and she could exact his revenge upon a company who looked down on him.. and did not accept him for all of his darkness as she does.  He took the Dark Queen.. and awoke the part of her that she had tried to bury.  The part that could have taken that World Championship.

And then.. there's me over the past few months, I have more than proven I am willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that pain and torment is felt. Blood will pour down like rain upon Anti-Thesis and our leader David Shane.  We will show everyone that WE are the end of it all. 

It's hunting season on Team Star... and as you can see.. the weapon.. is TEAM DAVID.  Sounds the Hounds of Hell, for it is Ragnarok."

The team walks up behind her, Sander's placing his hand on her shoulder causing her to look up at him and smirk, before he leaned into the camera she had been speaking to.

"Run..."

The scene pans out on them stand around her, while she sits on a throne. Dionysus places his hand on her other shoulder, David Shane walking up beside him and Lyons walking up to stand beside Sanders. The scene fades to black.

---

The camera had shut off and Alexandra stood, rising off the throne that had been built for her promos with Anti-Thesis. She looks around at the group around her before nodding. An evil smirk crosses her features and she reaches out a hand to Sanders, waiting for him to come closer. She knew if done right, and everyone played their parts.. the darkness would prevail over PWS Apex.

"We all have a job to do tonight.." She took a deep breath. "Does everyone know what the collective goal is?"

The Lost Cause stepped forward and eagerly clasped her hand in his, his black lips curling up into a wicked, anticipatory grin.

"Violence. To rain Hellfire and righteous lightning upon them with everything we have, and ensure that Star Stormz will NEVER forget the name ANTITHESIS."

Alexandra gave him a grin, her eyes focused on his, before turning to look at Dionysus.

"And you Dionysus.. where do you stand in this match tonight? What is your goal?"

The giant raised his eyes from the knife he'd stuck into the floor to meet her, rocking subtly back and forth as his eyes bulged wide, a fit of wild laughter preceding his response.

"To kill! Rip. Maim. DESTROY everyone who stands in our way! To show them... what happens... when you cross a GOD."

He ripped the knife from the floorboard and HURLED it into the wall across from them - the blade landing directly in the centre of a photo of Levi Russow. The Mad God seemed pleased by this, letting out another bark of laughter before he began to hum "Drunken Sailor" to himself again.

"My my.. I love the desire you have within you to end them. Mr. Lyons.. you sir? What is your goal?"

She let out a soft giggle, twisted and sadistic. Lyons stepped forward, glaring forward with a sneer of cruel intensity.

"To show these TRAITOROUS HYPOCRITES what it truly MEANS to be a team! To unleash the full strength of our brotherhood - our family - upon them so that NOBODY can EVER forget the name ANTITHESIS, or deny the impact that we've had on this business!"

Alexandra smiled at them, looking around to see the family before her. Her moment was coming soon enough.

"A cohesive unit that is stronger than that of Star Stormz. Anti-Thesis, is a family, stronger than any."

Alexandra looks around the group standing near her. It was clear that Star Stormz and her chosen members of losers.  None of them had any chance in hell against the fully cohesive family. There was something about the moment they were sharing, that proved the group was solid and no matter the outcome tonight. Hunting Season....

[Dionysus]

*In the ANTITHESIS locker room, we see a darkened panning shot. Alexander Lyons is in the back, training for their big match. Sanders and Calaway are locked in an embrace, and Dionysus is kneeling on the floor, with a dummy set up in front of him that has Star Stormz’s face taped to it. He’s currently on top of it, pummeling the dummy with lefts and rights. He looks into the camera, a grin on his face.*

Dionysus: Once again, the lambs lead themselves to the slaughter.

*He stands up, picking the dummy up with him as he throws it violently against a locker. He grabs the dummy’s head, inflicting more violence on it as he picks up a garbage can and slams it into the head of his “opponent”. His grin widens as he goes into one of the lockers, pulling out a meat cleaver, smashing it into the head of the dummy, which now has a rip in it from the attack.*

Dionysus: Star… you don’t know what you’re getting into, do you? You don’t know the true strength of ANTITHESIS.The bond we share… like a herd of lions, ready to maul their unsuspecting prey. But unlike a lion pack, Alexandra is not the only hunter. Every one of us is ready to strike, and maul, and rip, and kill, until there’s nothing left!!

*He gets very animated now, grabbing the dummy, taking it in both hands, one hand on either side of the split in the dummy’s head, as Dionysus pulls it apart vertically. He pants, looking back at the others, who stare back at him, Sanders sporting a grin almost as big as the Mad God’s.*

Dionysus: Prepare yourselves… as the old, frail gazelles are always the first ones to die. Especially if they come back to where the lions roam.

*He pauses, calmly walking over to a chair and sitting down, taking a deep breath. He closes his eyes on the inhale, a smirk coming over his face on the exhale.*

Dionysus: And Star… you’ll find that when you ascend, you truly have nowhere to go but down. And the Horseman of Death will put you there. You’ll be sent to space, like a Shooting Star. And just like when a shooting star enters the atmosphere... you, too, shall be in pieces by the end.

*Jonathan Sanders makes the pistol motion with one hand, “shooting” at the camera, while Dionysus looks menacingly into it, humming a line of “Drunken Sailor” to himself.*

Dionysus: Like Prometheus, who gave the gift of fire to humanity, and was pecked by birds for eternity, you breathed life back into 5 people whose bodies are broken… and your punishment, too, will be eternal suffering. You’ll feel the injuries we give to you tonight decades from now. I can promise you that.

*He laughs a bit, grabbing the cleaver from before and just… looking at it. He hums to himself, before turning back to the camera.*

Dionysus: Team Star…

*He leaps at the camera, grabbing it with both hands.*

Dionysus: RUN!

*He throws the camera down, making it cut to static, before finally cutting to black.*

[Star Stormz]

Scene one: Reunited
When: Right after Riot, 12/6
Where: Backstage, Gorilla position


(The cameras fade up in the back of the arena, just on the other side of the curtain where all of Team Star was gathered, taking in all the energy and excitement. Trisha Lee Moore let out a deep, satisfied sigh as she smiled)

Tlm: Oh man that was a rush! I can't believe just how much I missed that feeling.

Gracie: It's what we live for sometimes.

(Trisha looked around at her team with a smirk)

Trisha: Who woulda thought that Trisha Lee Moore would be on the same team as a Russow?

Levi: ...Stop fangirling, my eyes are up here, and no i don't want a kiss for luck

(Trisha raised an eyebrow at him and laughed.)

Trisha: Dare I say… I have missed you being a sarcastic asshole?

Levi: Pirate?

(He shrugged as he walked off, not even excusing himself)

Gracie: Yeah… I should head out too. Maddy has been cranky today and I don't want my dad to have to deal with that alone.

(Gracie then headed off, leaving Trisha with Star, Nick, and Laura. They all look to Star, who was beaming from ear to ear.)

Star: That was the best thing I've seen in weeks… I really owe you all so much. I know how much you are sacrificing going out there at Crusade.

Trisha: Sacrificing? What is David gonna do? Spank me and take away my birthday?

(Nick chuckled when she said "spank me" and Laura elbowed him)

Trisha: Anyways… This has been amazing and I can't wait to get out there at Crusade and show these idiots how it's done.

(Star took in a deep breath)

Star: As excited as I am to have you on my team… I gotta say… it's been almost a decade. I hope there's time for you to shake off that ring rust.

Trisha: About that…

Nick: Yeah… when we called her up after the last show to fill the spot she came to the school and started training right away.

Laura: One thing I can assure you… she hasn't missed a step.

Star: So… you guys knew about her agreeing to do this… and let me just… stress for 2 weeks?

Nick: But… we came through for ya!

Trisha: Wanted to surprise ya, Star.

Star: That… you most certainly did. David and his team were speechless, they didn’t know what to think when you came out.

Trisha: And did you hear that pop? Haven’t felt that in way too long. I promise I’m hitting that gym every day until Crusade. Not a chance in hell we let those idiots win. Not when they are staring down the LEGENDARY team you have.

Star: No other way to describe it.

Nick: Just one more thing to say… Trisha…

Trisha: Don’t fucking say it.

(Nick smirks)

Nick: Shut up and get slutty!

(He was then greeted by a HEAVY slap to the arm by his wife)

Nick: WHAT! For old times sake?

(Laura and Trisha both shook their heads with a slight snicker.)

Trisha: Aaaaaaaand on that note I better head out for the night. I gotta go get my daughter from the sitter. I’ll see you guys at the gym tomorrow morning, right?

(Nick and Laura both nod. Star’s jaw appears to be on the floor as Trisha walks off.)

Star: She has a daughter?

Laura: Yeah we were kinda shocked too.

Nick: Who knew she had a maternal instinct?

(With that the scene faded to black)


Scene Two: Sit Down Interview
Where: Undisclosed location
When: Sometime between Riot and Crusade


(The scene opens up in a small room. In the room sat two chairs with a small table in between that had 2 bottles of water on it and a vase with flowers in the middle. The chairs were slightly angled towards each other. In one chair sat PWS:APEX Lead Reporter Tayna Reihl. In the other PWS Legend Trisha Lee Moore.)

Tayna: Hello there PWS Universe! I’m sitting here today to pick the brain of one of PWS’s most recognizable names in it’s history… Hall of Famer, former World Champion… and the 5th member of Team Star at Crusade… please welcome Trisha Lee Moore.

(There was a soft clap track played as Trisha smiled.)

Trisha: Thank you for having me. It’s kind of weird being in the limelight again.

Tayna: I would expect so. You have been seen occasionally in PWS since it reopened, such as wishing them luck in the return show or showing up to a Hall of Fame ceremony. But you always kept a low profile. So I am sure I am not the only one wondering… what have you been up to the last decade?

Trisha: That’s actually… an interesting story. I had spent the years leading up to the close of PWS with my life, and every little detail, very public. I found out the man I thought was my dad really wasn’t… met my half sister… learned at that point that I wasn’t actually a US citizen… just every little intimate detail of my life was out there for everyone to see. It was hard to deal with all that stuff in public like that. So when PWS closed its doors, I used that time to deal with everything. I got closer to my sister. Dare I say, we even became friends before…

(Trisha took a deep breath, pausing.)

Tayna: Before?

Trisha: Tristain… my half sister… about 6 years ago… she uh… well…

Tayna: I’m so sorry. We can move on to the next question if you want

Trisha: No, its ok. She died during childbirth with my niece. It was a very… traumatizing experience. I was actually by her side until things went wrong and they kicked me out. I… well… little Cammie was so beautiful and healthy and snuggled perfectly in my arms that I made the decision right then and there to adopt her.

Tayna: You adopted your niece?

Trisha: In a heartbeat. The father wanted nothing to do with her after Tristain was gone, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to let that little girl grow up without a mommy.

Tayna: So you are a mother now?

Trisha: As strange as that sounds… yes. She’s my whole world. I live for that little girl.

Tayna: That’s a very touching story. I’m sorry to hear about your sister

Trisha: It’s like a family curse. Our mom died giving birth to her… she died giving birth… but yeah…

Tayna: I can’t even imagine… and not to gloss over it but we have a few other things to talk about and a limited time.

Trisha: Not a problem at all

(Tayna flips to the next card in her hand.)

Tayna: So, is it safe to say that you are a PWS:APEX fan?

Trisha: Of course I am! I watch every week and frankly, I’m a bit offended it took em THIS long to call me up for one more match

(Trisha let out a slight chuckle to show she was joking.)

Trisha: I’m just messing. I have been thinking about making a return lately. Ya know, if the match was the right one.

Tayna: I assume this one qualified?

Trisha: That it did. I mean, I’ve known Star, David, Nick, Laura, Gracie, Levi for so long. I gotta say I kinda saw this kind of thing coming from David. But then again, I know what it’s like to feel unseen and act out to do whatever you need to do to get the attention you so crave. Doesn’t excuse him acting like a toddler though. He is one I have always wanted to get in the ring with… and I can’t wait to shove his balls so far up his ass. Then again… I bet Maria has them sitting in a glass jar on her desk so…

(Tayna stifles a chuckle)

Tayna: Is that why you agreed to the match?

Trisha: Partly. I mean, I want my little Cammie to see that as a female in a man world, you can do anything. And you should. Stand up for what you believe in, and fight against the wrongs in the world. Be brave, even in the face of adversity. Plus… feeling the roar of a live crowd again is intoxicating

Tayna: Do you think you’ll stick around after Crusade?

Trisha: If the proper opportunity presents itself… never say never.

Tayna: That sounds promising. Now, as a fan yourself, what do you think about Team David? Let’s start with David.

Trisha: I think he is a little bitch who needs his ass kicked. I know Levi is CHOMPING at the bit to get a piece of him. And to be honest… I’m not gonna stand in the way of that. It’s a long time coming

Tayna: What about Antithesis? Alexander Lyons, Jonathan Sanders, Dionysus, and their newest member, Alexandra Caloway?

Trisha: Honestly? Caloway is the most talented of the lot if you ask me. I’m interested to test her in that ring should the chance come along. Never really liked Sander and his “oh I’m emo pay attention to me” crap. Dionysus is the big dumb guy of the group, while Lyons is the one who has the most potential out of them all. Am i worried about any of them in particular? Not really. I’ve done so much in my career that it’s gonna take a lot more than a group of kids to keep me down. I have some of the most talented people in the company’s history at my side.

Tayna: It is a pretty legendary team.

Trisha: It really is. And if you had told me 10 years ago that my “one more match’ would be defending Star Stormz at the side of Nick Madison, Laura Phoenix, Levi Russow, and Gracie Lopez… I would have called you a fucking moron.

Tayna: You do have an extensive history with all of them.

Trisha: Dare I say… Nick and Laura are 2 of the closest people I ever had to friends in my entire life. Even with out checkered past. I’m glad they called me, i’m honored to help Star. When PWSR closed she welcomed me to PWSi without any hesitation, allowing me to wrap up that chapter of my career on my terms. And for that I’ll be eternally grateful.

Tayna: That’s amazing. And on that note, we are out of time. Good luck at Crusade!

(Trisha nods as the scene fades to black.)

[-The Iceman Levi Russow-]

“Your heart’s on the loose…
You rolled them 7’s with nothin’ to lose.
…this ain’t no place for the weary kind.”

*Hurts. It all hurts. Jolted awake by your spine seizing up at 4:30 in the morning was the prize you won cause you just had to put on a show one last time, eh Cowboy? Couldn’t just ride off into the Goddamn sunset for the what, fifteenth time or something? Fuckin piece of shit…d’you know WHY your family is so fucked up? It’s cause YOU…FAILED THEM.*

(Levi Russow suddenly jolts up in bed exhaling sharply as his wife Emma groggily awoke to see what the matter was.)

Levi Russow: It’s fine, it’s fine my love…I’m sorry I startled and woke you! Go back to sleep.

Emma Russow; Awww but see I’ve gotten so awfully selfish getting to have you HERE.

Levi Russow: I know babe, I know…but you know how I get…

Emma Russow: Lemme guess, “I’M gonna do a bunch of unnecessary bullshit that looks ‘cool’ for people that weren’t alive to watch me in my prime”

Levi Russow: …okay, OUCH.

Emma Russow: What are you doing this for?

Levi Russow: ‘Cause it…it FEELS like…this is the right thing to do. And I ain’t always done the right thing.

Emma Russow: Baby you can barely move…you struggle getting up and down in chairs so you just JUMP in them. I KNOW your spirit is willing, my Love, the world knows how much strength your spirit has. Look at the company! The biggest names can't get through one solid promo without mentioning the name “Russow”. Stay…stay with ME, stay with the kids!

Levi Russow: I actually thought about asking y’all to accompany me on the jet…

Emma Russow: Levi…

Levi Russow: Please…Em…I gotta show ‘em…at LEAST one time…

Emma Russow: …if our children are traumatized because they watched their father DIE in a professional wrestling ring I swear to Hades I’mma dark arts your ass back up here so fast you’re gonna scream for the fates to cut your cord! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?

Levi Russow: Yes ma’am!

Emma Russow: Good! I don’t fuck losers.

(And with that, Emma grabs the covers and gives it the ol’ hard cold shoulder turn as Levi chuckles and wipes his face getting out of bed and going to the bathroom. As he waits for the water to warm, he can’t break eye contact with himself…)

“You called all your shots…
Shootin’ 8-Ball in a corner truck stop.
…somehow this don’t feel like home anymore.”

*Goddamn kid…you look like hammered dog shit. I guess maybe three a days were a bad idea to jump back into but I swear to God…I’d rather show up, teeth bared and ribs exposed like a feral street dog than show up like a pompous Pomeranian like that over fluffed David Shane. Him and his entire little team of miscreants is going to find out EXACTLY why I keep showing up. WHY I keep fighting when the last one’s fallen. It’s because you and I, Davey boy…we come from different walks of life. God…*

(Levi has pulled his shirt off and almost as if he’d been ignoring them all these years he finally looks at his body in the mirror. The abs remained, if not marred by the four inch incision running along his ribs, the numerous callouses, scabs, and scars…he runs his hand along the longest incision where he very literally had to be glued back together that runs from the side of his neck all the way down his left arm.)

Levi Russow: Well dipshit…got yourself in another one, didn’t you?

(As Levi finishes cleaning up and preparing for his day, we hear the end of the lyric from Ryan Bingham’s “Crazy Heart”)

“And this ain’t no place for the weary kind…
And this ain’t no place to lose your mind.
This ain’t no place to fall behind…
…so pick up your crazy heart.
…and try it one more time.”

-A PROMISE MADE-

(We open to see Levi standing on the jet with an absolutely dumbfounded look on his face as his wife Emma walks up beaming from ear to ear and wraps his arm around her. They both look on towards the back of the airplane where an invited Dr. Diana Everheart sits locked into what appears to be a deep and intellectual meeting with Levi’s son Charlie. Decked out in an oversized bathrobe complete with eye cover we see a disgruntled Rosie rise from the couch she was sleeping on.)

Rosie: I REQUIRE THINGS!!!

Levi Russow: THEN GET UP AND GET THEM INSTEAD OF YELLING ABOUT IT!

Rosie: MY MANAGEMENT WILL HEAR ABOUT THIS!

Levi Russow:YES I’M SURE MR. FLUFFY TINKLEBOTTOMS WILL BE QUITE CROSS!

(They stand there watching for what feels like forever…Charlie was actually smiling for once. It was easy…like clockwork. Whoever this woman was, and Levi had long suspected there’s a quality about her he hasn’t quite worked out in his own head yet but we stay like this until we hear the pilots tell everyone to take their seats.)

-Next Day-

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

(The door opens and Dr. Diana Everheart answers it curiously, standing outside in the hallway leaning in the door frame stands a stern looking Levi Russow.)

Dr. Diana Everheart: Mr. Russow…thanks again for the flight, did you need something?

Levi Russow: I uhh…I told you that if you could get through to Charlie that I’d be here so…this is me…holding up my end of the bargain.

Dr. Diana Everheart: Charlie is a unique case for certain, he threw me off a bit when he started talking about joint manipulation and citing some of the more obscure parts of Grey’s Anatomy than I was expecting a 9 year old to know. But I’m sorry, I’m all booked up today. But we can get you scheduled!

Levi Russow; That’s fine, whenever wherever…guess I’ll just go take my baggage out on the punk bitch little brats trying to kill my company.

Dr. Diana Everheart: Well…don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.

Levi Russow: I’m certain I can’t possibly begin to understand what you mean by that.

Dr. Diana Everheart: …I…it was just an expression?

Levi Russow: Ah. Yes. Well…Dr.

Dr. Diana Everheart: Mr. Russow.

(Levi’s claw like hand darts out and next thing we know he’s holding a stage hand by the collar of the shirt.)

Dr. Diana Everheart: MR. RUSSOW!

(Levi looks at the scared young man in his grasp as he smiles warmly.)

Levi Russow: Could you be a lamb and go find me a rolling camera, Papa Levi’s got some things he needs to straighten out.

(Levi lets go and the kid is off like a bolt of lightning, Diana crosses her arms and glares at Levi.)

Levi Russow: …what?

Dr. Diana Everheart: Do you…NORMALLY manhandle your employees and make demands that aren’t in their job description.

Levi Russow: …yeah, why?

Dr. Diana Everheart: Fascinating…*clicks pen and scribbles something into her notebook.*

Levi Russow: Hey, HEY! What is THAT!? What are you writing!?

Dr. Diana Everheart: Hmm? What? Oh this?

Levi Russow: YEAH! THA-

Dr. Diana Everheart: Don’tworryboutit.

*SLAM*

(Levi kinda respectfully smiles and shakes his head as he walks off towards his locker room as a cameraman catches up to him quickly.)

The Iceman Levi Russow: So here we finally are…Armageddon…and David Shane thinks the larger the mass of humanity he throws at us, the harder time we’re gonna have knocking his dick in the dirt. It will not be a hard time. I have seen your…”Antithesis”...and I tell you right now in front of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the Torah, the Joseph Smith papers, AND your Bible that I ain’t impressed. I’m not impressed with Ryder, I’m not impressed with Dionysius, Hell…I’m not even impressed by the shiny new toy Alexandra. I may have never seen eye to eye with Trisha Lee Moore but…if I were a betting man, and I am…I put our bitch over your bitch so that’s strike one. Strike two, another easy bet. Nick Madison over the first person he gets his hands on. And me? Well I can’t say for certain but I’m pretty sure I’ve taken shits bigger than Dionysius’ body count.

(Levi turns the corner and starts stretching out his neck.)

The Iceman Levi Russow: The long flights and the late nights start to get to you after awhile…you start to slow down, break down, you can FEEL you aren’t what you once were. Where’s the Levi Russow that adopted a full male lion named Gonzalo? Where’s the Levi Russow that tried to blow Star Stormz’ heart up with a sudden jolt of fear cause he was bored. WHERE…IS THE LEVI RUSSOW…that was the face…of the whole Goddamn place.

…can I be that guy again?

Bitch, I been him.

(Levi clicks his teeth and winks as he turns off from the camera’s path as we fade to black.)

[Jonathan Sanders]

PRELUDE: SILENT NIGHT

*Fade in.*

*We open on a shot of a calm, still snowy evening. The full moon brightens the sky, obscured partially by wispy, grey clouds which drizzle snow upon the slumbering houses below. A soft piano chord accompanies our shot as it pans slowly downwards, revealing a quaint, single-detached house in the midst of an unremarkable suburban neighbourhood. The home appears well-tended, and snow has gathered in soft, marshmallowy piles upon the roof and the porch out front, which only adds to the festive atmosphere provided by the various Christmas lights adorning the property. The musical accompaniment continues to overlay our scene as a female voice begins to spout familiar lyrics.*

“Silent night,

“Holy night…”

*We begin to move swiftly forwards, panning through one of the upstairs windows - through which a yellow light can be observed

“All is calm,

All is bright…”

*Our scene abruptly switches once again, and we are greeted by a scene of a raven-haired young boy whom viewers understand to be the child version of Jonathan Sanders. He is currently being tucked into bed by a kindly-looking, waifish blonde woman with exceptionally tired eyes.*

“‘Round yon virgin mother and child…”

*We cut to a close-up of the duo, allowing us to view the unbridled joy and love written on young Sanders’ face as he gazes up at his mother, who regards him with a loving but exhausted smile.*

“Holy infant, so tender and mild…”

*A spotlight now shines on Sanders’ bed, as his mother tucks him in and kisses his forehead. He shuts his eyes as the rest of the scene fades to blackness, leaving only his bed alone in the darkness.*

“Sleep in heavenly peace…”

*A mirror slowly rises from the ground, out of the roiling inky shadows to stand upright at the end of Sanders’ bed.*

“Sleep in heavenly peace.”

*Here, our scene shifts again, cutting from this scene to another of Jonathan in his bedroom, tears streaming down his face. He is wearing a black suit and holding a single rose in one hand - the same attire he wore to his mother’s funeral.*

“Silent night,

Holy night…”

*Young Jonathan dries his eyes with the back of one jacket sleeve and casts his gaze sideways towards the mirror, his eyes hardening as adult Jonathan Sanders glares back at him.*

“Shepherds quake, at the sight…”

*Young Sanders slowly approaches the mirror, letting the rose fall from his hand, as he outstretches one palm to place it upon the glass.*

“Glories stream from heaven above.”

*Behind the mirror, adult Jonathan Sanders regards his younger self and slowly reaches out to place HIS hand on the mirror as well, palm flat against the glass, exactly mimicking his younger counterpart’s positioning.*

“Heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah.”

*With this, the scene glitches and flickers for a moment like an old VHS tape, and adult Jonathan Sanders is replaced by the black-robed, devil-masked Dark Reflection, who extends his other hand to young Jonathan as the glass in the mirror ripples like a pond. Young Jonathan reaches through the glass to take the eldritch being’s hand…*

“Christ the Saviour is born…”

*Young Sanders steps into the mirror, his steel-grey eyes hardening into the expression we know well from the man today. He plunges into the black abyss, and darkness engulfs our image for just a moment until two pinpricks of white light - the eyes of the Dark Reflection - open in the inky blackness.*

“Christ the Saviour is born.”

*The screen immediately erupts in full colour again, as we see Jonathan Sanders plunging through the nebulous, space-like dimension between the mirrors. Stars dot the scene around him, along with other, smaller mirrors - each one, as he passes, replaying a traumatic event from his life. The music crescendos with every new mirror; Mike and the bullies on the playground beating him senseless; Jonathan sitting alone in the rain at recess; the funeral of his mother; his commission to the mental asylum after attempting to murder his father; mistreatment and abuse by the doctors and nurses; a suicide attempt leading to his wrists being quite literally shackled to the bed; every single loss he’s ever suffered in professional wrestling, beginning as the old Jonny Flame gimmick and moving up through the years, all the way to his defeat at the hands of Mike Hawk at Destiny 2021. As he passes each of these moments, Jonathan grows progressively older, until we’re gazing upon the familiar adult nihilist the PWS faithful know and loathe today. As this musical interlude reaches its conclusion - and Sanders’ body passes through the other mirror at the base of this long chasm, shards of glass exploding around him in every direction - we find ourselves standing upon a familiar beach. The sand is now covered with snow, which also falls from the sky. An eerie stillness falls upon the scene as the song begins again.*

“Silent night;

Holy night.”

*We pan slowly downwards to the surface of the beach, where we are greeted by a massive Crucifix which bears the form of Jonathan Sanders, surrounded by his stablemates in ANTITHESIS - minus, of course,Tyson Sykes. Sanders himself is dressed as the Christ - nude from the waist up, body covered with tattoos and scars of his previous battles, with a crown of thorns adorning his head. The other ANTITHESIS members are wearing biblical garb as well, and each is holding an ornate wooden box - one to symbolize frankincense, the other gold, and the last, myrrh. They each place their boxes at Sanders’ feet one by one, with Alexandra Calaway going last.*

“Son of God, love’s pure light…”

*As Calaway lays her box at Sanders’ feet, tears streaming down her face and causing her mascara to run in long black streaks down each cheek, she then gazes up at the man and reaches one hand out to caress his face, upon which his eyes shoot open. The ordinarily-steel-grey orbs are now glowing a brilliant white, devoid of any pupil or iris. He slowly inclines his head to lock eyes with her.*

“Radiant beams from thy holy face…”

*Sanders slowly leans forward, his arms fixed in place upon the cross, to place a deep and tender kiss upon Alexandra’s lips. She curls against him, and as they kiss her image flickers like a sputtering VHS tape to one of herself in a long, black dress, with a crown of thorns to match his own.*

“With the dawn of redeeming grace…”

*Calaway steps back, now, and the other three members of ANTITHESIS kneel before Sanders on the cross, which then erupts with flames as the Lost Cause throws his head back in a wicked, silent cackle, the entire scene playing out in slow motion. We hold on this tableau as the song begins to wind down.*

“Jesus, Lord at thy Birth…”

*The image of Sanders on the cross sputters and flashes rapidly between himself and the long, black-robed figure, its arms bent on the cross to make the Baphomet pose. After the first few quick flickers, this second image completely overtakes the first one, and the rest of the scene fades to black.*

“Jesus, Lord at thy Birth.”

*We hold on this image for a few seconds in the silence, until the eyes suddenly pop open and we abruptly cut to static.*

*Fade out.*

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

INTERLUDE: MASS


The winter wind howls through the chill of night, a full and feasting moon bathing the streets below in an eerie, pale light. I find myself within an urban sprawl - a sidewalk, choked on either side by skyscrapers that stab into the night, monuments to the hubris of mankind. I needed to get away. Alexandra, my Dark Queen, has just relayed the news to me about her daughter - my OWN daughter, now, if family be bound not by blood but instead by our own will - and I have sought, as I so often do, the familiar embrace of cold and darkness to quiet my emotions. I am… unaccustomed to this manner of attachment, as yet. I have laboured so long, so vehemently denied intimacy in favour of my Glorious Mission… it is not a feeling I am well-equipped to grapple with. I feel old and buried things clawing at the graves within my psyche, begging for egress back into the wider fields of my mind. I do not allow them, yet. I can’t. We are far too close to achieving what we’ve laboured for - our blessed Armageddon. PWS: Apex will burn in sweeping agony, and the fires we ignite will spread across the breadth of this horrid little dying ball of rock and consume EVERYONE and EVERYTHING who has made me what I am… and yet, there is a… pang. A fetter. It calls to mind a passage. Dickens. I find myself reciting it aloud.

“‘You are fettered,' said Scrooge, trembling. ‘Tell me why?'”

A smirk. My own phantom replies.

“'I wear the chain I forged in life,' replied the Ghost. `I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. Is its pattern strange to you?'”

Scrooge trembled more and more. I begin to tremble as well. The cold has grown aggressive, biting; the night has recognized me as an interloper, and begun its course of self-defence. I simply bear my wicked teeth towards it.

“‘Or would you know,’ pursued the Ghost, `the weight and length of the strong coil you bear yourself? It was full as heavy and as long as this, seven Christmas Eves ago. You have laboured on it, since. It is a ponderous chain!'”

A pause. Waiting. The night says nothing, but its wicked wind backs down. Is it growing timid, maybe? Has it realized I am not prey, but a predator myself? I test the waters further…

“‘Jacob,’ he said, imploringly. ‘Old Jacob Marley, tell me more. Speak comfort to me, Jacob!'”

I pause for quite some time here. The wind howls again, and now I understand. It is uncertain of my nature. Testing. Seeking answers. This is a wild arctic hare, ears pricked to catch the footfalls of the encroaching wolf.

“‘I have none to give,’ the Ghost replied.”

I bear my teeth again. The wolf has pounced; the howling night-wind whimpers and dies, expiring in the bitter cold. I drag it back inside, and use its corpse to shore up the walls of the mausoleum in my mind. I will have no further visitors tonight.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ANTITHESIS: REVELATIONS


“It seems the hour of Armageddon has very nearly set upon us…”

*Fade in. We open on a long shot of Camp Nou, the venue in Barcelona which will play host to Crusade. The opening narration should’ve tipped more-astute viewers off, but as we slowly pan backwards away from the venue, we are greeted by the form of PWS: Apex’s resident nihilist, “The Lost Cause” Jonathan Sanders. He is clad in a black ANTITHESIS hoodie and faded grey jeans, the hood pulled up over his head as he observes the arena from afar, a wicked twinkle in his steel-grey eyes.*

“Even now, as the frigid daggers of the night slice greedily into my flesh, I find I tingle with anticipation of the wicked, wretched violence that’s to come. This has been the goal, since I made my return to this bloated, dying business - a cancer two years in the making, left to fester in the heart of this great beast until it could endure no longer. Finally, our blessed Ragnarok has come…”

*Sanders pauses, here, grinning his wicked grin into the camera.*

“And not a soul among you is prepared for what that means. For whom have you selected as your champions? Your five stalwart archangels, to stand against the Horsemen of the End? Trisha Lee Moore… Levi Russow… Laura Phoenix… Nick Madison… and Gracie Lopez.”

*Sanders spits this final name with not inconsiderable contempt.*

“This is who you’ve chosen? These will be the heroes who lead you to salvation? I needn’t waste my breath to elucidate this folly…”

*He grins his evil, sadistic grin as he turns to glare into the camera.*

“But since the night is young, allow me to indulge…”

*A beat. He inhales sharply.*

“Nick Madison. Laura Phoenix. A power-couple from a bygone age; upon their backs was this promotion built, so it is fitting that at their feet should it fall. Tell me, Mr. and Mrs. Madison… Why have you returned? Are you truly so hopelessly addicted to this bitter, awful vice? Surely it is not for the money; the pathetic human wealth you have amassed thus far by partaking in the ritualistic sacrificing of your bodily wellbeing ought to be more than sufficient to live as royalty while the peasants starve in the streets around you, freezing in the bitter cold. So why, then? What is it that has drawn you two tired, aging moths back into this raging flame? You must be aware of its effects by now; when your old bones ache, when your neck cries out in AGONY… when you are unable to rough-house with your children, or simply ascend a staircase without anguish, you MUST be reminded. This business is an abattoir. A modern-day bloodsport. These fickle, famished fans will shriek with heaven-splitting VIOLENCE until you’ve annihilated yourselves for their entertainment… so why would you return?”

*Sanders pauses, his grin returning.*

“Is it, perchance, glory that you seek? Aye, THERE’S the rub. It is how you enticed Levi Russow and Trisha Lee Moore to accompany you on this suicide mission; an old posse of cowboys, riding back into town for one final gunfight with the outlaws holding their precious town hostage. And yet… this story will not end in the splendour you’re anticipating. There is no ‘happily ever after’ for THIS tale; oh, NO. THIS tale is a cautionary one. A warning to those tired, elderly lawmen to keep themselves retired, a stark reminder that they CANNOT outdraw these outlaws… and they are simply riding to their doom to scratch that ever-present itch of adulation. But there is no reward worth THIS. Worth throwing yourselves to the ANTITHESIS… to ME. I have TOLD you all what I AM - I have SHOWN you, firsthand, just what sort of VIOLENCE I inflict! To stand against me is to SAIL INTO A HURRICANE, and I will TOSS your foolish crew overboard with the FURY of Poseidon himself, and see that the stormy seas rise up to swallow your pathetic legacies FOREVER!”

*Another pause. A beat. He inhales once again as his smirk has become a look of wild, furious determination.*

“Gracie Lopez should know by now precisely what becomes of those who stand against the Snake of Eden… and his glorious Dark Reflection, the Lilith to my Lucifer, Alexandra Calaway. We have shown you what we are capable of in individual scenarios, but standing together? With our blood-brothers in ANTITHESIS by our side? Tell me, heroes -”

*The word DRIPS sarcasm.*

“- What hope could you POSSIBLY have against us, united as a front? We do not call ourselves the Riders of the Apocalypse - the Horsemen of the END OF DAYS - without cause. You are barely a stable - a cadre of aged, retired superstars looking for some desperate, last-ditch attempt to recapture former glory, who have hitched your wagon to the only young upstart foolish and nostalgic enough to tolerate your albatross about her neck! But we are SO. MUCH. MORE. We are beyond even a stable - we are a family. A fraternity. A FORCE OF NATURE, sent with the wrath of HEAVEN AND HELL THEMSELVES to bring righteous punishment upon this broken, sinful world! You would claim to stand in opposition to us, who were hand-selected by David Shane specifically because we have run ROUGHSHOD over your entire organization? If you could not stop me alone when I sought to ruin your Main Events and cripple all your top performers to gain entrance to the Demon’s Run Elimination Chamber, how do you propose to stop the LOT of us when you’re locked inside a cage with a feral lion, a living, breathing PLAGUE, a Queen of the Damned and a mad, MAD God?! I am certain you’ll fight valiantly - SOME of you may even manage to SURPRISE me. But to WIN? To SUCCEED in your endeavours, against the UNASSAILABLE EMPEROR Octavian Augustus? To actually propose an answer to your persistent Impossible Question?!”

*Sanders pauses yet again, his steel-grey eyes glaring HOLES into the camera.*

“It would require nothing short of a veritable Christmas Miracle.”

*A beat. The Lost Cause’s raven-painted lips split into a vicious, sadistic smirk.*

“I suggest you begin praying.”

*With this, it seems he’s finished, and he shoves the camera to the ground as he pivots on his heel, trudging through the snow into the frigid, gloomy night. Fade out.*


Fin.

[Gracie Lopez]

“Armageddon day is upon us”

(The training gym is filled with students but as the minutes go by it starts to empty one by one as the training session is done for the day. The training session was led by Gracie and it was going over the fundamentals of wrestling, including footwork. It’s something that her grandfather and father taught her on her first days and she’s at the age now where she needs to pass on her knowledge to the next generation. Madison was with her too but she’s still not medically cleared to get into the ring yet as she had complications with her ACL recovery but it doesn’t mean she can’t be outside the ring shouting stuff out. As the last student leaves, Gracie rolls into the ring and sits in the middle of the ring.)

Madison: How are you feeling?

Gracie: I feel good, I suppose. Just have my thoughts on this match coming up and i think it’s gonna get nasty for everyone but it’s needed at this point.

Madison: I know you’re going to do well! Maybe you’ll win a few awards from it?

Gracie: You know when I think back to this year, I’ve had a lot of those “big” moments that wrestlers dream about having but I really don’t care if I win year-end awards or not. See, those things are not important to me in the bigger picture of things. I mean cool my peers want to recognize me for the stuff I did during the year? Great, but I won’t shed a tear if I didn’t win those things.

Madison: That’s a bit modest….

Gracie: I guess, but the world title is important to me. I want to be the world champion again, yeah I know people will say I didn’t win it here, but I won it elsewhere. I’m not going to erase parts of my career because some people in management don’t like when I bring that other place up, who cares…GROW THE FUCK UP! I swear some days it’s like dealing with kids, I can’t say this, I can’t say that…I’m going to say whatever the hell I want to say, I’m not changing for this place, or that place, or anybody else. I am who I am, deal with it!

Madison: Someone is in a mood today!

Gracie: Yes.

(Madison chuckles a bit, she knows when Gracie is in a mood like this there is no filter on her. She’s going to say whatever she wants and doesn’t care whose feelings she hurt. Madison tries to stay away when Gracie’s like this but today she couldn’t. So he has to deal with a moody Gracie.)

Madison: fair point, and with the big match coming up, I would be that way too if I’m honest.

Gracie: You were that way! I mean you had countless title matches and in every one of them, you were moody as hell. But you’re right, this match is huge and I’ve been focused on nothing but this match and the way I prepare as well. I’ve never wrestled in a match like this before and seeing how the cage tears away the skin from your body, and the hell it causes… I needed to be prepared. I didn’t want people bothering me, till today. I knew I had this class to do, but I’m excited for this match though.

(Madison nods her head.)

Gracie: Ever since I joined this team, I’ve heard some whispers about why I did it. Why I stood beside star and not David? Well, let me explain to everyone then. Since I was a kid, Star enjoyed my company and she gave me my first job here, it was to model merch online, for commercials, or whatever they wanted me to do, and if they wanted to model action figures, yeah sure why not, I’ll do it. Star was the first person to believe in me when I was a kid, and she even told me when I turned 18, I would get a contract….

(Gracie shrugs her shoulders a bit.)

Gracie: Of course, the place was dead by then and I was signed to a different company that also believed in my talent. However, when this place got revived, Star kept her word and I was the first person along with my dad and Jenn to get contracts to the “new” PWS. After that she disappeared for a while, I have no idea what happened and nor do I care. I was knee-deep in title defenses and doing my own thing. Over the years, she’s been loyal to my family, and me and unlike some people, she’s NEVER lied to my face or my family. She’s always been constant. And if it makes me enemy number 1, so be it. And if it puts my career on the line? Cool. again, I don’t care.

(Even though Gracie is against management and has always been anti-authority but over the years she’s gained respect for Star and everything she’s done.)

Gracie: The biggest connection I have with Star outside of all of that stuff I said, is My grandfather. My grandfather used to be the GM of the original PWS and the wisdom he shared with Star is something I’ll never forget, that’s why Star is the way she is now. She’s no-nonsense, she doesn’t take people's Bullshit. It’s been fun to watch her grow into the person she is under the guidance of my grandfather. That’s why PWS means so much to me, because of the heart and soul they poured into this.

Gracie: So what makes me connected to these legends and hall of farmers? History. Over the years I got to spend time with them, while not actively in the ring but backstage. Sometimes I annoyed them, but I wanted to make the point across that I was going to be a wrestler. The person I annoyed the most was Trisha. She’s rough around the edges and she doesn’t like people at all, but I always kept coming up to her asking her how her day was or whatever. I even told her that I would team with her, funny how things work out some years later….

(Gracie lets out a small sigh but a good sigh. Trisha has this roughness about her but Gracie knows deep down Trisha is a good person..)

Gracie: A couple more things about Trisha before I move on, I have no idea what she’s done in the past years or why she’s been gone but I have faith that she’s the same bitch she was years ago. I know she doesn’t like teaming with others, and I don’t either but we have something in common there, it’s gonna be fun to see the dangerous stuff she’s going to do in a match like this. I’m looking forward to this, and have been since she came out that night on Riot. those goosebumps I got… things are gonna get nasty in a hurry.

(She starts to shift off Trisha and starts to talk about Nick and Laura and how their relationship became to be, just like everyone else, her history with them is long.)

Gracie: Now, Nick and Laura, I’ve known them for years, and yes this a common theme for this. Over the years they and my family have had their differences but at the end of the day, we still respect each other. Hell, the battles over the years leaked into the friendship I had with their daughter, Bella. But we buried the hatchet, I think and we still hang out. I know Nick may still have issues with my dad but I have nothing to do with it, so that’s for them to figure out and if he holds it over my head…he better watch himself.

Madison: I'm sure you have a lot to talk about with Levi and the history you have with him.

Gracie: Actually, I do! The Russows and Lopez’s has had this on-again-off-again relationship. It doesn't matter what fed we're in, we're either enemies or standing beside each other. And that's going to happen at crusade. We're going to stand together. Levi is like an uncle to me. Hes watched me grow up from modeling action figures to winning a world championship. He was the first person to call me when I won it. Again, I know I didn't win it here but the fact still remains. He was the first person to show up at my grandfather's funeral and provided his services.

(The level of respect she has towards Levi is telling.)

Gracie: when he tried to fight off David Shane's puppets. I wasn't going to stand by and let him do it alone. Maybe that's why I'm in the spot that I am and I don't care. I protect my family, and I see Levi as such. I’m not sure how he feels about this because I know he’s not a sentimental person but if anybody harms him in this match I’m gonna take the bullet… I’ll sacrifice myself.

Madison: I guess we can start talking about the other team….let’s start with David Shane….


Gracie: We have David Shane, a real piece of shit if I ever saw one. His life started to go downhill after his friend, War passed away years ago. Then father his father died, and it went further downhill, or is he dead? I can hardly tell anymore, his father has been alive or dead off and on for so many years now, it’s almost like watching a bad MTV comedy show called ridiculousness. It’s pretty much ridiculous that David Shane even has his company, to begin with, he stole it under Levi’s nose when he KNEW Levi wanted to revive it.

(Madison hears the tone starting to change in Gracie’s voice, it’s something that’s happened before in the past and Madison knows not to interrupt her while she’s going on an angry rant.)

Gracie: You know what he did after getting this place? Surrounded himself with yes men who acted like his ideas are brilliant but they aren't. The first time he attempted to revive this place failed. But did David give up? Oh no, not him he had to pretend like he was some savior and try again. But I see through the bullshit, he’s just a con artist living off other people's hard work, and living off his friend's memory. Now? Now he still surrounds himself with yes-men puppets who do whatever he says, what a joke. If he fires me on the first show back after this so be it, I don’t care. I will never stand for him or his little goofy ass team.

Madison: : Well damn…. Tell me how you really feel….

Gracie: Speaking of the yes man puppet team, Antithesis. They did everything they could week in and week out to take me out and injure me and did it work? Nope, I’m still standing here without a scratch on me. Hell even at one point they tried to shut me up too, and again it failed. I guess they like having David’s dick up their asses that everything they try to do ends up being a failure, just like David’s career. This the path they wanted to go down and I don’t feel sorry for them at all. At one time they were a respectable tag team who won a couple of tag belts, but that was long ago before they started to show cracks. I’m sure they don’t see that but hey, I’m just going to sit back and watch.

(Gracie starts to chuckle a bit before stopping.)

Gracie: I know they’re gonna “finish the job” and get rid of me once and for all, they’re gonna use realize that it’s not that easy. Over the course of 7 years, many people have tried and failed. They’re going to fail again, and it’s going to be a beautiful watch when it happens.

(Gracie shrugs her shoulders.

Gracie: Now Lyons and Calaway and , I’m going to lump them together because they acutally have talent and they’re the smartest ones in the group. But they’re stupid for teaming up with a con artist like David Shane but that’s a different story for a different day, I almost fell sorry for them…almost. Feel sorry for them why? Because they want to waste away their talent to side with someone who doesn’t give a fuck about them, he’ll find a way to stab them in the back before they realize it. That’s who they’re dealing with, but at the point in time let it happen. Let them fuck up their career, they have nobody to blame but themselves. I was going to praise them because I see a good future for them, but now? It’s tainted.

Madison: :I think you forgot someone….

Gracie: Who?

Madison: Dionysus…

Gracie: Who the hell is he? Oh right the big stupid gorilla of that team, yeah nobody cares about him and neither do I. I guess they needed someone to fill that 5th spot and called him, I mean I thought squid man was a stupid guy but this guy is about the same.

(Gracie rolls herself out of the ring that she’s been sitting in for a while. She looks at her watch before grabbing her coat from the table.)

Gracie: I gotta get going, I promised Jenn I’d be back with pizza’s after training and it’s been an hour since we ended it, so cmon let’s go!


(The scene comes to a close with the 2 of them leaving the gym, shutting the lights off and locking up the door.)

[Laura Phoenix - HBIC]

Note: This is a dual RP by both Nic and Laura

One Last Crusade

Scene One
The Blessing

(We open with a shot of Bella Madison, as she’s in her locker room at the High Stakes event for Sin City Wrestling. There’s a knock on the door, and Bella looks up from her phone.)

Bella Madison: It’s open.

(The door opens, and in walks Nick Madison. Bella smiles at him, as he takes a seat next to her.)

Bella Madison: Hey hey. Where’s mom and Aaron?

Nick Madison: They’re getting some food in catering. I wanted to come talk to you about something.

Bella Madison: Sure, what’s up?

(Nick lets out a sigh before continuing.)

Nick Madison: You know I love you, and I hold our match at last year’s Crusade very dear to my heart, right?

(Bella tilts her head to the side, giving him a confused look.)

Bella Madison: Yyyyeeeaahhhh…

Nick Madison: And I would never do anything to hurt you or make you upset.

Bella Madison: Dad…what are you getting at?

(Nick smiles when she calls him dad. It still means so much to him.)

Nick Madison: Well, things have gotten pretty bad in PWS. There’s this big Armageddon match coming up.

Bella Madison: Yeah, I heard mom talking about it.

Nick Madison: Yeah…well, Star’s team is going to need some help. David made this bogus rule that any of the active roster members that join her team aren’t allowed to challenge or hold titles.

Bella Madison: Wait, isn’t Gracie on Star’s team?

Nick Madison: Yeah, she said she didn’t care about all that. She had to do what was right.

Bella Madison: Which, good for Gracie. Okay…still, why are you bringing this up to me?

(Nick hesitates and Bella notices and gives him a look that almost rivals her mother’s.)

Bella Madison: Dad…

Nick Madison: I want to ask for your blessing.

Bella Madison: My blessing?

Nick Madison: Your mother is going to join team Star. I know I said our match was my last, but I need to stand by her. I need to do this. But I won’t without your blessing.

(Bella sits back and thinks for a moment)

Bella Madison: What if I say no?

Nick Madison: I mean…I wouldn’t do it.

Bella Madison: What happens with mom? And team Star?

Nick Madison: I…don’t know. I mean I’m sure they’d find someone else. And Laura as always would be okay.

(Bella sits back in deep thought for a moment before looking at Nick with a smile.)

Bella Madison: She’ll be better with you out there with her.

Nick Madison: Is that…

(Bella’s smile gets brighter as she lays her head on Nick’s shoulder.)

Bella Madison: Of course I will absolutely give you my blessing. On two conditions.

Nick Madison: Anything.

Bella Madison: One, you have mom’s back, and look out for her.

Nick Madison: Always do, what’s number two?

(A smirk comes across Bella’s face.)

Bella Madison: You guys kick some serious ass.

(That brings a smirk to Nick’s face and he laughs a bit.)

Nick Madison: I always do.

Bella Madison: Then you have my blessing, and when you guys get back we will have the best Christmas celebration ever.

Nick Madison: Thanks kid.

(Bella turns and wraps her arms around Nick’s neck and gives him a big hug and he hugs her back as the scene fades.)

---

Scene Two
The Indifference of Good Men

(The scene opens, as we follow Laura Phoenix through the halls of the Madison household, before she gets to the home gym. It is there she finds her husband, Nick, as he’s sitting in the corner of the room, his back against the wall as he sits on the floor. He seems to be fixated on something in his hands as Laura walks up.)

Laura Phoenix: Everything okay? I thought you were working out.

Nick Madison: I was…

(It is now that Laura recognizes what’s in Nick’s hands. It’s a pair of military dog tags.)

Laura Phoenix: Woah, you haven’t had those out in years.

Nick Madison: Yeah, I was working out and a song came on that made me think of him, and…I dunno I just had to get them out.

(We can see the name on the dog tags is Aaron Daniels, the name of Nick’s best friend who was killed when he was younger.)

Laura Phoenix: What song?

Nick Madison: See You Again…

(Laura sighs and reaches out and holds his hands.)

Laura Phoenix: Nick…

Nick Madison: It just…made me think, ya know? Like…what would he think of what I’ve become? He was always the one steering me in the right direction when we were younger. He’s the one that inspired me to even get into this damn business to begin with. So like…what would he have to say about what I’ve done, where I am now?

Laura Phoenix: What do you think he’d say?

Nick Maidosn: I hope he’d say that he’s proud of me. I hope he would say that I’ve never lost my way for too long. I’ve been through my wars, I’ve got my battle scars, but I still stand up for what I believe in. I still stand up for what’s right. I don’t know, he’s just been on my mind a lot recently.

Laura Phoenix: Can I ask you a question?

Nick Madison: Sure.

Laura Phoenix: This, you agreeing to be in this match….what was it that inspired you to do this?

(Nick lets out a sigh.)

Nick Madison: You…him…just everything. Like…looking back at his life, the man he was, what kind of man would I be if I didn’t stand up when you were wronged. What kind of man would I be if I was just…indifferent.

(Laura smirks, as she kneels down in front of Nick.)

Laura Phoenix: The indifference of good men. Nick, you are the best man I have ever met. You are an amazing father to Aaron, and you have been so great with Bella when you didn’t have to be. There is no one on earth I would rather go through this fight we call life with.

(Laura places a hand on Nick’s leg, as she smiles at him. Nick gives a slight nod.)

Nick Madison: I know…I guess I’m just…freaking out a bit cause I know the place I’m gonna have to go to in this match.

Laura Phoenix: You go to your place, I’ll go to my place, and after it’s over, we’ll come out together. Side by side…

Nick Madison: Always and forever.

(The two stand up, as Nick puts the dog tags on around his neck.)

Nick Madison: It’s time to go to work.

---

Scene Three Point One
Phoenix’s Requiem

(Though she never stopped working out like the next day she could easily step back between the ropes, Laura had her reasons to say goodbye to in-ring competition little over four years ago. One obviously was her getting pregnant with Aaron. Before that though she knew she was struggling. Her heart wasn’t into it like it used to be that gave her that Hall of Fame career.)

Laura Phoenix: You just couldn’t let it the fuck alone, could you David?

(At least one thing could be said about the Madison household, between the gym and the ring, they were well situated just on that chance that this would happen and now it has, well it got a lot of use from the both of them.)

Laura Phoenix: You know, there isn’t an absolute soul that doesn’t get what PWS means to me. The company in whole made my career, it gave me a whole new love for wrestling when I almost lost it all those years ago. It gave me my husband and in return it brought my whole family back together again.

(Laura looks down for a moment. She takes a deep breath.)

Laura Phoenix: So for you, David Shane to show back up and accuse me of the bullshit that you did...I was content in just saying fuck all, because I was tired of it. I was tired of the accusations that were thrown at me when it came to Bella. Nepotism accusations when I had never given anyone any reason to doubt me. But hell, let’s point the fingers for your failure.

(Laura sits tall, pulling a hairband from her wrist and pulls her hair up in a long blonde ponytail.)

Laura Phoenix: YOU WALKED AWAY FROM PWS: APEX and we almost died because of your shit but oh yeah, it’s my fault...it’s Star’s fault? Right? No....no, fuck you...fuck your team and fuck you for trying to destroy the legacy that myself, my husband, Levi, Trisha and Gracie’s dad Eddie left. You have done nothing but try and destroy us? WHY? Because you apparently got bored.

(That causes Phoenix to scoff.)

Laura Phoenix: SO, let me make something abundantly CRYSTAL FUCKING CLEAR to every single one of you mother fuckers that backed the wrong horse’s ass. Sanders, Lyons, Dionysus...you three fucks have been playing with fire for so damn long that it’s about time you realize real quick just who the hell blazed that path that you so blatantly disrespect. I had such high hopes for you 3 but let me tell you something about David Shane...if you think he’s going to reward you with grand prizes for your supposed loyalty...you all better have eyes in the back of your head because he will stab you in the back without a second thought.

(Her face drops when she gets to her next thought and sighs.)

Laura Phoenix: Alexandra Callaway...I just, I don’t understand it. You have all this amazing potential, you were so close to becoming a world champ and here you are standing on the wrong damn side. In fact I see a lot of me in you. But I guess we all have to learn that hard lesson. I did just that years ago when I stood with a group that I thought had my back...and instead they tried to destroy me. I was thrown off cages, burned alive...I have been in Elimination Chamber Monster Ball HELLS when my mind was at my most unstable moment ever.

(Laura laughs almost bitterly.)

Laura Phoenix: Bella kidnapped by a psychopath that just wanted to be a champion. Hell, my own partner, Trisha? Her and I ripped each other to SHREDS back in the day...and then we were accused of being lesbian lovers for a while. ...it’s a long amazing story and I hope after this is over I can tell you all about it, but to do that I have to make a point.

(She stands tall, rolls her head and cracks her neck. Looking more like the Laura Phoenix of way back then.)

Laura Phoenix: If you all think that you are going to get rid of General Manager, Laura Phoenix that easy? I have a rude awakening for each and everyone of you. Because alway, lingering just underneath was the very bitch that you all feared could return at any moment. The multi-time champion, the last PWSR World Champion, the Hall of Fame badass that was just dormant because she was just...tired.

(She gives a big stretch, shaking her head like she is just waking up.)

Laura Phoenix: Well I’m sick and fucking tired of it. The woman that is going to stand in that ring with Nick Madison, Trisha Lee Moore, Levi Russow and Gracie Lopez is the Head BITCH in Charge of ALL of you crazy assholes. Laura Phoenix...the REAL Laura Phoenix is back. And I’m going to show you all what it’s like to play with the fire that could never be controlled.

(And with a wink, she turns and leaves the room.)

Laura Phoenix: Last one out, gets the lights.

---

Scene Three Point Two
Armageddon

(The scene opens, as we pan across an empty Camp Nou, before we see Nick Madison come into frame, as he’s looking out at the arena.)

Nick Madison: In just a few short hours, this place is going to be filled with screaming fans, all here to see the very best in professional wrestling, as we give them a night to remember. There will be wars fought, blood lost. There will be blood, sweat, and tears shed here tonight. Legends will be made, and to the victors will go the spoils. Can you etch your name into history? Or will you be among those who history has forgotten?

(Nick let’s put a huge sigh, as he turns to look at the camera. We notice he has something around his neck, a set of dog tags.)

Nick Madison: David…fucking….Shane. Whereyou get off? You’ve had NOTHING to do with this place for years. Then, all of a sudden you come back and try to start changing everything. What’s wrong? Finally felt your irrelevance sinking in? I got news for you, David. Whether you are on tv every week or gone for months, you have always been and will always be irrelevant. You are nothing more than a sad excuse for a poor man’s Marcus Cage. You never won the big one like the rest of us because management, in any form of PWS, knew you didn’t have what it takes to be the top dog. And I know that must burn you up, to know that a guy like Levi Russow, a man that you utterly detest, is more relevant, even way after his last match, than you could ever dream of being. You’re gonna get everything that’s coming to you, and ya know what? I’m gonna enjoy every damn second of it, you pathetic, delusional, insolent, vainglorious troglodyte. And if that’s too much for you to comprehend, it basically means that you’re fucked.

(Nick looks into the camera, grinding his jaw, as to calm himself.)

Nick Madison: But, the delusional one is not the only on that stands against us in this war. There’s the little girl, Alexandra. Sweetheart, did you realy think it was a good idea to get involved in all this? I mean, look at your situation. You’ve gone and pissed off one of the brightest stars on the roster in Gracie Lopez..and now you’ve got my wife and one of my best friends wanting nothing more than to step in this ring and show YOU how it’s done. They both paved the way for girls like you, but they did it with their abilities and talent. They didn’t do it by playing some dude’s little BDSM girl or whatever it is you and Sanders got going on. You’re not ready for this. Better hope all the guys can protect you at all times, cause you got hell coming your way.

(Nick smirks, as he continues.)

Nick Madison: Let’s see, who’s next? Ah yes, the “monster” Dionysus…what a joke. Me big man, me very strong. Me dark and mysterious. Get over yourself, man. Better than you have done that gimmick, and done it way better. I know you want to think no one can stand toe-to-toe with you, but let me let you in on a little secret. Like David and Goliath, it doesn’t take a giant to take down a monster. But a monster of a different breed? Perhaps. I’ll be seeing you in Armageddon, I’d suggest you make your final blessings, pray to whichever deity you believe in, because I can assure. You will not be the same after this one.

(Nick starts to pace.)

Nick Madison: Now, we have Alexander Lyons…the bastard child of Antithesis. For so long, he’s tried to find where he belongs in the group. He tried the single stuff, tried the tag stuff, but nothing seemed to stick. Where the hell has his tag partner even been? Sykes? Anyone remember him? I used to think he was the only one in Antithesis worth a damn, but no one’s heard from him in months. I guess even he had enough of the delusional bullshit and got the hell away from the dicks.

(Nick squats down in front of the camera, looking into it.)

Nick Madison: And that brings us to the “almighty” leader of the group. Jonathan fucking Sanders, or as I’d like to call him, the biggest emo bitchboy in PWS: APEX. I’d say in PWS history, but there’s Axle Vengeance. You think you can just be all “dark” and “brooding” and everyone is just supposed to fear you? Nah, man. That’s not how it works. You get respect and people to “fear” you by earning that right. You earn that by proving you’re one of the most sick, sadistic, twisted mother fuckers to step foot in this company. And I hate to tell ya, kid. But that ain’t you. I know David likes to think he’s the leader of this team, but we all know he’s a delusional crackpot, and it’s you who’s really pulling the strings. So, tell me..what’s going to happen to you, your group when you’re left staring up at the lights after we beat you? How you gonna recover from that/ A bunch of “old-timers” kicking your ass, as you’d say? I mean, that’s gonna have to sting. Or will you let David be the scapegoat? Will you blame it all on him? Or for once, maybe just once, you’ll be a man and own up for your own shortcomings? I guess time will tell.

(The camera starts to back away from Nick, then starts to pan down, and we see he is indeed standing on top of the Armageddon structure. He looks down at the camera, now shouting.)

Nick Madison: I am coming to Armageddon to unleash hell on all of you. You want a challenge? You want a fight? I will give you all that and more. I want you to find whatever it is you’re fighting for, because I know what I’m fighting for. It's time to put up or shut up, kids. This one ain’t gonna be for the faint at heart. It’s gonna be ugly, it’s gonna be messy. Yeah…this is gonna hurt.

(A sick, sadistic smirk comes over Nick’s face.)

Nick Madison: Who’s ready to goooo tooo warrrrrr?

[David Shane]

(It's late and after deadline, but I wrote it. I work too damn much, and fell asleep.)


“Do you remember how this all started? I certainly remember. Star, I came to you and offered you the chance to start something new. Something we could be proud of…”

- - -

David is seen sitting behind the arena on the bed of a truck. The equipment had been removed and crew members walked by him, getting the show ready. One of the crew members stops for him to sign a work order, then leaves. He smiles then it fades, after a few minutes Alfonso Banks walked up to his old friend. He sat next to him on the truck bed…

Alfonso Banks: Do you regret anything? The crew says you’ve been sitting here for about an hour.

He looks at his friend, then looks down at his wedding ring…

David Shane: I have no regrets, everything I have done has been to build something more than myself. Do you remember what I hired you for at first?

A smile comes on both of their faces

Alfonso Banks: I was hired as Mr. Nanners personal assistant and Julia’s Chief Diaper Change Expert…which was your smug ass way of calling me a babysitter and paying me minimum wages.

David Shane: and look at you now…Head commentator and the Personal Assistant to the Co-Owner of PWS Apex.

Alfonso Banks: and one of your closest friends. But what was all this about? I know it wasn’t about your face being removed from the banners and taken off the programs for the events.

David Shane: It all started when I took on my role and focused on getting this company everything it needed…Every Death Match was because of me pushing it to the board, every action from bringing Levi, Laura and any one else that has held a position in this company was because of me, pushing it through the board…and eventually Star quit acknowledging my existence in this company. She had Levi on the board and she went through him…So when the title vacated, I saw my chance to show her how much control I had then and still have now.

Alfonso Banks: We always talked about you pulling power against her, but when you came out that night and told me it was time you took back your company…I didn’t think you were going to suspend her…let alone falsify board votes…

David Shane: the votes weren’t falsified, they would have been valid upon revisement of those absent from the vote, which never would have stood and would have been thrown out. However Levi stuck his nose where it didn't belong yet again. My goal was to push the talent of Anthesis while I could, and anyone else that had been ignored by the current regime.

Alfonso Banks: You got what you wanted, Anthesis is now a focal point of this company. They will stand with you against the veteran team that Star has managed to put together. Nick Madison, Laura Phoenix, Gracie Lopez, Levi Russow and Trisha Lee Moore…

David Shane: Star just proved my point with that team…she’s living in the past of this company. I’m sure if Eddie wasn’t happily retired he’d be in Gracie’s spot. I wouldn’t be surprised if she tried to get Duke Russell…

Alfonso Banks: He was a name rumored…

David Shane: She has focused on bringing in the company's past…I stand with the future. I do so KNOWING I am the weakest link on this team. I have been out of active duty for several years…Anthesis has nothing to fear about that either. I haven’t quit training. I am still in ring shape, even having a desk job now.

Putting his hands on his knees, David pushes himself up and looks at his friend.

David Shane: It's been a hell of a ride, either way I regret nothing about what I’ve done…Someone had to do it.

He gives a half smile before walking off…Alf continued to sit there for a moment before he stood and walked off scene

- - -

David comes down the hall and turns, opening the door to his office. Maria sits in his office against the desk as if she was waiting for him. She points to the desk, where a file sits with a pen on top.

Maria Angel-Shane: he's been released, and your worst decision has been rectified.

David Shane: Everything else is in order?

Maria Angel-Shane: all this is left and for you to sign everything.

“Good”

He opens the folder and signs the paperwork inside, as the door is closed on the crew.

- - -

“This is how it all comes to an end, an Armageddon. For too long I had to sit back and watch from the shadows as my name was removed from everything I built…Every…Last…Thing.”

“Star, at one point in time We shared a vision for this company. Over time, Star, you seemed to have forgotten that this company isn’t about The Russows’, The Laura Phoenix’s…The David Shane’s…This company was meant to be a place for everyone to have their time of day and yet somehow, Eddie Lopez’s crotch blossoms receives more air time then the members of Anthesis…because they have the one of the names of Royalty in this company.”

“I stepped out of running this company on the road because you told me it was what was best for the company to have someone back on the board seeing that the company had what it needed. I listened because it was truly what we needed. I fought for every Death Match, and any other questionable decision…and the company bloomed and then it crashed…”

“It was your fault that we lost our champion, then not long after other superstars began to leave because you were to blind to see that it all could have been avoided.”

“I gave you a call, and offered to help but all you offered was tickets to the show and 5 mins of air time at Rise 2 Glory because something more important had to take precedence…Gracie Lopez had to cut a promo with Jenn.”

“If I was rushed off the screen, imagine how the rest of the locker room felt that wasn’t part of Star’s inner circle.”

“Max Shepard was hired to balance Star…and he did what was honestly expected of him, he joined the inner circle and forced my hand.”

“So here we are…Armageddon is coming. I said what I wanted to say at Riot…Now it will be Team Star vs The Anthesis…”

“Old Blood vs New Blood…”

“The bells have tolled…Armageddon is among us!”